One of the most positive aspects of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Monday night collapse against the Toronto Maple Leafs was what looked like another step forward in the development of rookie forward Ben Kindel.
Kindel finished the night with two goals in the Penguins’ first multi-goal game by a teenager since Olli Maatta in 2014.
That’s not the only reason Kindel will be in the Penguins’ record books after Monday’s loss.
NHL Stats reports that Kindel, who has scored five goals this season and won’t turn 19 until April, has already tallied the sixth-most goals by any Penguins player aged 18 or younger.
Only Sidney Crosby (39), Jordan Staal (29), Jaromir Jagr (18), Craig Simpson (7) and Doug Bodger (5) recorded more goals for the franchise before their respective 19th birthdays.
Kindel also joins Crosby, Jagr, Staal and Simpson as the fifth player in Penguins history to be credited with multiple goals in a single game before turning 19.
The 18-year-old earned the Penguins’ second goal of the night thanks to his presence in the paint when a shot ricocheted in late in the first period.
He scored his fifth of the season by ringing a shot in off the post while playing with the top power play unit midway through the second period.
As of the time of Kindel’s fifth goal, all other 2025 NHL draft picks had combined for a total of six goals, as noted by Penguins PR.
That opponent total almost entirely belongs to top pick Matthew Schaefer, the rookie defenseman who has scored five goals in his first 12 games for the New York Islanders.
No. 2 pick Michael Misa has also put up a goal for the San Jose Sharks.
Despite taking a three-goal lead into the third period, the Penguins will come out of Monday night’s contest without a point after allowing four unanswered Leafs goals in a span of just over 10 minutes.
On the bright side, Kindel recorded a career high with seven shots (four at even strength, three on the power play) in the loss.
He also saw by far the most playing time of his NHL career, beating his previous high by more than seven minutes after seeing 22:23 on the ice in Monday’s loss.
The Penguins confirmed their decision to burn the first year of Kindel’s entry-level contract last week, when they kept the rookie in Pittsburgh for his rookie season-triggering 10th game of the season.
Kindel is continuing to prove that was the right decision. Given his ranking alongside Schaefer as the highest-scoring members of the draft so far, he’s also so far justified Kyle Dubas’ decision to select him higher than some consensus rankings at No. 11 in the 2025 draft.